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Special Issue "Self-Assembled Nanoparticles: An Emerging Delivery Platform for Drugs"

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A special issue of Pharmaceuticals (ISSN 1424-8247). This special issue belongs to the section "Pharmaceutical Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2023 | Viewed by 3691

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Pallabita Chowdhury

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Plough Center for Sterile Drug Delivery Solutions, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 220 S. Dudley Street, Memphis, TN 38104, USA
Interests: nanoparticle drug delivery; self-assembly of nanoparticles; targeted drug delivery

Prof. Dr. Xiuling Lu
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
Interests: nanoparticle-based drug delivery for cancer therapeutics and radiation therapy; imaging-based delivery for cancer therapeutics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Most chemical moieties that show therapeutic potential suffer from limitations such as undefined metabolism or unwanted adverse effects. With the discovery of nanotechnology just about a decade ago, remarkable success has been achieved. Due to the small nature of the subunits (10^-9m), nanoparticles often tend to organize in nanostructured self-assemblies. Self-assembly can be defined as a process that causes synergistic interaction between self-organizing particles, leading to a hierarchically ordered structure with the minimal external direction needed. The advantages are myriad; loading of drugs according to morphological requirements can provide versatility, dispersibility in aqueous media can provide stability, the absence of formulation excipients can offer clinical safety and biocompatibility, and the quick and easy fabrication with minimal requirement of special equipment can provide low production cost and ease of manufacturing. These processes have gained the attention of researchers and enabled the development of delivery systems for various applications. Since the first success of nanotechnology with the FDA approval of self-assembled liposomes in 1995 for Doxil^®, groundbreaking advancement was made very recently when approved for clinical use of mRNA vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The emergence of self-assembling nanoparticle drug delivery systems is advancing rapidly toward clinical use. Thus, in this framework, the aim of this Special Issue on “Self-Assembled Nanoparticles: An Emerging Delivery Platform for Drugs” is to unify manuscripts that aim to utilize the process of self-assembly to develop nanomaterials for improved drug delivery systems for available drugs. We welcome articles with a particular focus on addressing state-of-the-art knowledge and future perspectives for the application of self-assembly and the emergence of new approaches for the clinical translation of drug delivery.

Dr. Pallabita Chowdhury
Prof. Dr. Xiuling Lu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

self-assembly
nanomaterial
drug delivery developments
lipid nanoparticles
liposomes
polymeric nanoparticles
therapeutic delivery
miRNA delivery
preclinical and clinical translation of drug delivery

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 8375 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Neutrophil as a Carrier for Cancer Nanotherapeutics: A Comparative Study of Liposome, PLGA, and Magnetic Nanoparticles Delivery to Tumors

Anastasiia S. Garanina

Daniil A. Vishnevskiy

Anastasia A. Chernysheva

Marat P. Valikhov

Julia A. Malinovskaya

and

Pharmaceuticals 2023, 16(11), 1564; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph16111564 - 06 Nov 2023

Viewed by 512

Abstract

Insufficient drug accumulation in tumors is still a major concern for using cancer nanotherapeutics. Here, the neutrophil-based delivery of three nanoparticle types—liposomes, PLGA, and magnetite nanoparticles—was assessed both in vitro and in vivo. Confocal microscopy and a flow cytometry analysis demonstrated that all the studied nanoparticles interacted with neutrophils from the peripheral blood of mice with 4T1 mammary adenocarcinoma without a significant impact on neutrophil viability or activation state. Intravital microscopy of the tumor microenvironment showed that the neutrophils did not engulf the liposomes after intravenous administration, but facilitated nanoparticle extravasation in tumors through micro- and macroleakages. PLGA accumulated along the vessel walls in the form of local clusters. Later, PLGA nanoparticle-loaded neutrophils were found to cross the vascular barrier and migrate towards the tumor core. The magnetite nanoparticles extravasated in tumors both via spontaneous macroleakages and on neutrophils. Overall, the specific type of nanoparticles largely determined their behavior in blood vessels and their neutrophil-mediated delivery to the tumor. Since neutrophils are the first to migrate to the site of inflammation, they can increase nanodrug delivery effectiveness for nanomedicine application. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Self-Assembled Nanoparticles: An Emerging Delivery Platform for Drugs)

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25 pages, 7170 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bedaquiline-Loaded Solid Lipid Nanoparticles Drug Delivery in the Management of Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)

Shehla Nasar Mir Najib Ullah

Obaid Afzal

Abdulmalik Saleh Alfawaz Altamimi

and

Pharmaceuticals 2023, 16(9), 1309; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph16091309 - 15 Sep 2023

Viewed by 709

Abstract

Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) mortality and new case rates are both on the rise. Most patients have fewer treatment options accessible due to side effects from drugs and the emergence of drug resistance. Bedaquiline (BQ), a drug licensed by the FDA to treat tuberculosis (TB), has demonstrated highly effective anti-cancer properties in the past. However, it is difficult to transport the biological barriers because of their limited solubility in water. Our study developed a UPLC method whose calibration curves showed linearity in the range of 5 ng/mL to 500 ng/mL. The UPLC method was developed with a retention time of 1.42 and high accuracy and precision. Its LOQ and LOD were observed to be 10 ng/mL and 5 ng/mL, respectively, whereas in the formulation, capmul MCM C10, Poloxamer 188, and PL90G were selected as solid lipids, surfactants, and co-surfactants, respectively, in the development of SLN. To combat NSCLC, we developed solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) loaded with BQ, whereas BQ suspension is prepared by the trituration method using acacia powder, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, polyvinyl acrylic acid, and BQ. The developed and optimized BQ-SLN3 has a particle size of 144 nm and a zeta potential of (−) 16.3 mV. whereas BQ-loaded SLN3 has observed entrapment efficiency (EE) and loading capacity (LC) of 92.05% and 13.33%, respectively. Further, BQ-loaded suspension revealed a particle size of 1180 nm, a PDI of 0.25, and a zeta potential of −0.0668. whereas the EE and LC of BQ-loaded suspension were revealed to be 88.89% and 11.43%, respectively. The BQ-SLN3 exhibited insignificant variation in particle size, homogeneous dispersion, zeta potential, EE, and LC and remained stable over 90 days of storage at 25 °C/60% RH, whereas at 40 °C/75% RH, BQ-SLN3 observed significant variation in the above-mentioned parameters and remained unstable over 90 days of storage. Meanwhile, the BQ suspension at both 25 °C (60% RH) and 40 °C (75% RH) was found to be stable up to 90 days. The optimized BQ-SLN3 and BQ-suspension were in vitro gastrointestinally stable at pH 1.2 and 6.8, respectively. The in vitro drug release of BQ-SLN3 showed 98.19% up to 12 h at pH 7.2 whereas BQ suspensions observed only 40% drug release up to 4 h at pH 7.2 and maximum drug release of >99% within 4 h at pH 4.0. The mathematical modeling of BQ-SLN3 followed first-order release kinetics followed by a non-Fickian diffusion mechanism. After 24 to 72 h, the IC50 value of BQ-SLN3 was 3.46-fold lower than that of the BQ suspension, whereas the blank SLN observed cell viability of 98.01% and an IC50 of 120 g/mL at the end of 72 h. The bioavailability and higher biodistribution of BQ-SLN3 in the lung tumor were also shown to be greater than those of the BQ suspension. The effects of BQ-SLN3 on antioxidant enzymes, including MDA, SOD, CAT, GSH, and GR, in the treated group were significantly improved and reached the level nearest to that of the control group of rats over the cancer group of rats and the BQ suspension-treated group of rats. Moreover, the pharmacodynamic activity resulted in greater tumor volume and tumor weight reduction by BQ-SLN3 over the BQ suspension-treated group. As far as we are aware, this is the first research to look at the potential of SLN as a repurposed oral drug delivery, and the results suggest that BQ-loaded SLN3 is a better approach for NSCLC due to its better action potential. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Self-Assembled Nanoparticles: An Emerging Delivery Platform for Drugs)

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15 pages, 5214 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Transient Coatings from Nanoparticles Achieving Broad-Spectrum and High Antimicrobial Performance

and

Ana M. Carmona-Ribeiro

Pharmaceuticals 2023, 16(6), 816; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph16060816 - 30 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 775

Abstract

Cationic and hydrophilic coatings based on casting and drying water dispersions of two different nanoparticles (NPs) onto glass are here described and evaluated for antimicrobial activity. Discoid cationic bilayer fragments (BF) surrounded by carboxy-methylcellulose (CMC) and poly (diallyl dimethyl ammonium) chloride (PDDA) NPs and spherical gramicidin D (Gr) NPs dispersed in water solution were cast onto glass coverslips and dried, forming a coating quantitatively evaluated against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans. From plating and colony forming units (CFU) counting, all strains interacting for 1 h with the coatings lost viability from 10⁵ to 10⁶, to zero CFU, at two sets of Gr and PDDA doses: 4.6 and 25 μg, respectively, or, 0.94 and 5 μg, respectively. Combinations produced broad spectrum, antimicrobial coatings; PDDA electrostatically attached to the microbes damaging cell walls, allowing Gr NPs interaction with the cell membrane. This concerted action promoted optimal activity at low Gr and PDDA doses. Further washing and drying of the deposited dried coatings showed that they were washed out so that antimicrobial activity was no longer present on the glass surface. Significant applications in biomedical materials can be foreseen for these transient coatings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Self-Assembled Nanoparticles: An Emerging Delivery Platform for Drugs)

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15 pages, 5354 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Aggregation, Cytotoxicity and DNA Binding in a Series of Calix[4]arene Amphiphile Containing Aminotriazole Groups

and

Pharmaceuticals 2023, 16(5), 699; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph16050699 - 05 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1143

Abstract

The present work focuses on the study of the aggregation and complexing properties of calixarenes as potential DNA condensation agents for gene delivery. In the current study, 1,4-triazole derivatives of calix[4]arenes 7 and 8 containing monoammonium fragments were synthesized. The synthesized compound’s structure was characterized by using various spectroscopic techniques (FTIR, HRESI MS, ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR). The interactions between a series of calix[4]arene-containing aminotriazole groups (triazole-containing macrocycles with diethylenetriammonium fragments (3 and 4) and triazole-containing macrocycles with monoammonium fragments (7 and 8)) and calf thymus DNA were carried out via UV absorption, fluorescence spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering and zeta potential measurements. The role of the binding forces of calixarene–DNA complexes was analyzed. Photophysical and morphological studies revealed the interaction of the calixarenes 3, 4 and 8 with ct-DNA, which transformed the fibrous structure of ct-DNA to completely condensed compact structures that are 50 nm in diameter. The cytotoxic properties of calixarenes 3, 4, 7 and 8 against cancerous cells (MCF7, PC-3) as well as a healthy cell line (HSF) were investigated. Compound 4 was found to have the highest toxic effect on MCF7 breast adenocarcinoma (IC₅₀ 3.3 μM). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Self-Assembled Nanoparticles: An Emerging Delivery Platform for Drugs)

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